What the Soviet Venus Probe's fiery fall to Earth might look like: These past space junk crashes offer clues

A piece of space debris streaks with flame as it burns up in the atmosphere.

A failed space probe from the former Soviet Union is expected to fall back to Earth soon, and if its plunge happens to take place over your head, some recent spacecraft reentries may offer some clues to what you might see.

Kosmos 482 has been in orbit around Earth for more than 50 years. The probe launched in 1972 as a part of the Soviet Union's Venera program. The mission was bound for Venus, but problem's with the probe's launch vehicle stranded Kosmos 482 in an elliptical orbit around Earth. Atmospheric drag has been pulling the inoperable spacecraft lower and lower in altitude over the decades, and Kosmos 482 is now just days away from its final death knell. The latest forecasts have it coming home early Saturday morning (May 10).